Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-05
Fl X GLASS.
Startling Statistics Showing How Womer
Ws-e Led Into Drunkenness.

StartilDE SlailSNSS ohoWAhS Az"
Ws-e Led Into Drunkenness
l.. M. Hall, Superintendent of the
Womnn's Reiormatory Prison. Sher-
born, Mass, says;
..Out of the examination of 204 inc
hriate women . have found that l2S
egan taeir drinking by the use OF
beer, 81 by drinking whiskey, as punch
at first usually, 20 began with wine, 8
with gin, and IL could not remember
what beverage was first used. These
young girls, mill and shop girls large
ly, began by going to some so-called
refreshment saloon with their friends,
and the debutante usually began by
slipping a little tonic (made of hops,
sugar and water, charged with carbon
ic acid gas and colored with burnt
sugar). Beer o followed, and soon
riotiDg, other kinds of intoxicants
recklessness and crime; and what was
an innocent, foolish girl yesterday, il
o-day q branded criminal-all for a
glass of beer. Alas! how many ruined
lives ( have seen. Beer was also the
beverage which older inebriate womei
used TO entice the younger ones q
drink. A call upon one of these ole
sots was the signal for the pitcher o
beer to be sent for, and a little coaxin
and urging would result in the first f.
tai glass hing INDUCED in. The step
were then easy.
1t may be- OF interest to note that on
of the 204 inebriate women, l26 hac
been guilty of other crimes, and yet in
but sixteen instances did the first com
mitment OF q crime antedate the hab
of drinking.
or the beverages first used, while il
but 81 cases it began with whisky, il
1877 it had become the favorite bever'
age. Several hopeless drunkards. fal
gone toward insanity. had never dranl
any other lntoxicant than beer.
One hundred and thirty-two were
committed to prison for drunkenness
Sc for offenses against chastity am
public order, and Is for crimes agains
property. Their ages when last com
mitted averaged S0A years. Sixty-6y'
were BE- tween 80 and Al years of ape
40 between % and 81 years of age. b
between 20 and rs years OF age, 80 b
tween Is and q years of age. The r.
mainder were over Al years OF age.
Many of the older ones coulc not tel
how many sentences they have receiy
ed, showing the absolute us~elessness o
Furnishing these poor creatures VA
the temptations are left in their way.
To show the effect upon children o
inebriate ~parentage l collected tae fol
lowing: VI Ill inebriate mothers, 3;
cf whom had inebriate husbands, 40S
children were born. OF these 227 per
ished in infancy and early CHILDHOOD
and of the survivors many are doomed
evidently to an early death. In many
cases the death Of these children was
indirectly due to the inebriety OF thu
parents, as cold, deprivation. etc
Ages: Twenty-seven Of the 2o4 womel
began to drink intsxicants before They
were 10 years of age; III between thu
ages of Q aad 10; "A between IA ant
81; 81 oetwees 20 and 26; 80 between
% and 81; 19 between 80 and Al; !
between 40 and 81.
Averaee age. ISL years. More thar
one-half had termed habits OF intern
perance before they were twenty-on'
years of age, and more than ope-tsir'
at the gidd, age Of from 15 to 70 -
elusive; 1872 began to drink social
and with female friends.